The Luna Moth is definitely my favorite because of its placement and color.

What was your experience like getting them?

I got the Luna Moth first and the pain was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I originally made the appointment with the idea that I would just do the line work first and then come back for the color later but it was so fast and easy I decided to do it all at once.

Leah Griffin got her first tattoo after getting accepted into the creative writing program. Photos by Karrigan Monk.

Is there a cool story behind either of them?

The moon was a stick-and-poke that my friend Becca did for me. We made sure everything was clean and then we just sat on the floor and went to town. I didn’t really worry about how it would turn out because she’s an amazing artist. Also, she’s one of my favorite people in the world, so I was just happy to have a piece of her that I could take with me. It still cheers me up when I’m sad.

That’s awesome. Does the moth have a specific meaning to you?

I got the Luna Moth when I was accepted into the creative writing program. Luna was the name of the first character I ever created, so it felt suiting.

Do you have any advice to someone getting their first tattoo?

If you want it, get it. If you’re worried about pain, pay attention to your placement. Other than that, just be safe about getting them. I know this is coming from someone who got an at-home tattoo, but even those can be done in safe ways.